Electric connection system,especially for domestic appliances



Qctu 970 .1. JULLlEN-DAVIN ELECTRIC CONNECTION SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY FORDOMESTIC APPLIANCES FIG? F/GZ

INVENTOR JEAN JULLlEN-DAVIN ATTORNEY Int. Cl. I-lOlr 9/00 U.S. Cl.339-198 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Electric connection systemfor accessories of domestic appliances fitted with plug connectors whichare fixed on an insulating support and intended to receive femaleflexible socket connectors which are of variable width comprised betweena lower limit and an upper limit, each plug connector consisting of amale component having the width which is necessary to receive the socketconnector having the smallest width, whereas the system furthercomprises insulating guiding abutment members disposed on each side ofeach male component considered in the direction of its width, theinterval between two contiguous abutment members correspondingsubstantially to the width of the female flexible socket connectorhaving the largest width utilizable with said male component.

Some devices which are mounted on electrical domestic appliances andespecially washing machines and which include programmers, thermostats,pressostats and the like are provided for connecting purposes with flatplug connectors which are intended to accommodate flexible female socketconnectors. This type of connector is in widespread use and accordinglyexists in many difierene sizes. For a given thickness of 0.8 mm., therethus exist three widths of plug connector, namely: 6.35 mm., 5 mm. and4.75 mm.

Up to the present time, only connectors having a width of 6.35 mm. havebeen employed for ancillary devices in the countless numbers of washingmachines which are in service. This arises from the fact that the firstappliances were designed in this manner and that there has not beensuflicient incentive to change the width of connectors because of eithercapital cost or overall size.

However, increasing competition in this field is imposing a need forreduction in costs with a resultant tendency towards miniaturization ofequipment and the space available for accommodating accessories istherefore becoming progressively smaller.

It is acknowledged by the majority of manufacturers that the use ofconnectors of smaller size than those at present in use would make itpossible to reduce both capital outlay and dimensional requirements.However, this logical solution has not been adopted owing to thedisturbance in production which it would cause. In point of fact, newaccessories which would be fitted with narrow connectors (5 or 4.75 mm.instead of 6.35 mm.) would not be interchangeable with connectors ofpreviously existing types. For repair purposes, it would therefore benecessary either to stock a large number of appliances or to continue tomanufacture them on a small scale, that is to say under uneconomicalconditions.

The aim of the present invention is to permit the construction of anancillary device such as, in particular, a washing machine programmerwhich is fitted with narrow connectors (for example 4.75 mm.) and whichcan be connected to the utilization machine in all cases, whether saidmachine is an old machine fitted with wide socket connectors (6.35 mm.)or a machine fitted with socket connectors of the narrow type (5 or 4.75mm.).

United States Patent 0 The invention also makes it possible to reduceoverall dimensions. In fact, the minimum spacing between the two plugconnectors of 6.35 mm. width which are located in a same plane must bellmm. in order to comply with regulations (distance between exposedconductors) when the movable plug components are in position. By virtueof the invention, this distance can be reduced to 9 mm.

It is known that, when a flexible female plug component having a widthof 6.35 mm. is fitted in position over a male plug component, saidfemale component is in electrical contact with said male component onone face solely by means of two rolled-back edges and along two parallellines which are spaced at a distance of approximately 3 mm. and on theother face solely by means of a flat dorsal portion having a width of4.75 mm. In consequence, any portion exceeding a width of 4.75 mm. inthe male component has no useful function from an electrical standpointand serves only to center the female component laterally.

In accordance with the invention, each fixed plug connector consists ofa male component whose width is that which is necessary to receive thesocket connector having the smallest width comprised between apredetermined lower limit and a predetermined upper limit, whilst theinsulating support of the plug connector has, on each side of saidconnector, a lateral guiding wall or abutment member which limits thelateral play of the flexible or female component. Consequently, theportion which, on each side, exceeds the width of contact of 4.75 mm.can be dispensed with. The plug connector of 6.35 mm. width thus becomesa plug connector of 4.75 mm. width and is then capable of receivingeither a female component of 6.35 mm. width which is maintained centeredby the insulating walls or a female component of 5 mm. width (which willonly have a slight lateral play) or even a female component having awidth of only 4.75 mm.

When a plurality of connectors are mounted in a same plane, they areaccordingly separated by an insulating wall which, with a thickness ofthe order of one millimeter, advantageously replaces the distance of 3mm. which is imposed in free air, that is to say when there is noinsulator. The invention therefore makes it possible to gain 2 mm. perconnector and the fact that a connector of 6.35 mm. is replaced by aconnector of 4.75 mm. represents an economy of copper alloy of 25%.

A better understanding of the invention will be gained by considerationof the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of FIG. 2 and shows aninsulating support fitted with connectors according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line IIH of FIG. 1.

In FIGS. 1 and 2., the reference numeral 1 designates an insulatingsupport which carries plug connectors 2 having a width of 4.75 mm., thebases 2a of said plug connectors being folded back at right angles andsecured to said support by means of rivets 3 which provide an electricalconnection with metallic strips 4.

The insulating support 1 is provided with partition walls 1a which serveon the one hand to guide the flexible socket connectors 5 of large width(6.35 mm.) which are adapted to come into contact with the plugconnector 2 over the entire Width of the flat dorsal face 5a and bymeans of the lips 5b and, on the other hand, to ensure a sufficientinsulation distance 6 between two flexible conductors 5 which areadjacent to each other.

Ribs 1b provide a suflicient insulation distance 7 between theconductors 4.

of domestic appliances, fitted with plug connectors which are fixed onan insulating support for receiving female flexible socket connectorswhich may be of any width between a predetermined lower limit and apredetermined upper limit, each socket connector comprising a plateshaped body having two lateral flexible lips adapted to press againstone side of said plug connector and force the plate shaped body againstthe opposite side of said plug connector, each plug connector consistingof a male component having a width substantially equal to thepredetermined lower limit width of said socket connector, the systemfurther comprising insulating guiding abutment members integral withsaid insulating support and disposed on each side of each male componentconsidered in the direction of its width, the interval between twocontiguous abutment members corresponding substantially to thepredetermined upper limit width of female flexible socket connectorwhereby the socket connector of greatest width is held in position bythe abutment members to assure that the plate shaped body portion ofsaid socket connector is centered against the said opposite side of saidplug connector.

2. An electric connection system as defined in claim 1, wherein theinsulating guiding abutment members for the female sockets terminateapproximately at the height of the plug connectors.

3. An electric conenction system as defined in claim 2, wherein the malecomponents are alignedin a same plane and mounted on a common support,,the insulating guiding abutment members forthe female sockets alsoconstituting partition Walls of small thickness be tween said plugcomponentsm t 4. An electric connection system as defined in claim 1,wherein the insulating support is provided, on that face which is remotefrom the support face carrying the insulating partition-walls, withinsulating partition ribs disposed in the same planes assaid partitionwalls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,658,182 11/1953 Jackson et al.339--45 2,985,861 5/1961 Rogolf et a1. 339l98.4

RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner ROBERT A. HAFER, Assistant Examiner-U.S. Cl. X.R. 339-258

